Mario World
by disney505218
Summary: When Lily and Maria get trapped in a Mario Party game, what will happen? Will they survive? Is it anything like they imagine?
1. Entering the Game

_**Mario World**_

"I can't believe you actually came!" I exclaimed as I watched my friend Maria exiting her car to come meet me at my door. "What changed your mind?"

"I just thought, 'what's to lose?'. Nothing serious" She smiled nervously and gave me a quick hug. "So where's the game?"

"Downstairs, come on!" I eagerly ran off, not even pausing to see if she was following me. When I got to the game system I quickly turned it on and set up Mario Party World. It was an advanced version of the popular Nintendo game, including every Mario Party game on one disk and all the characters. After the game had come out back in 2010, video gamers had begun to disappear mysteriously. They were believed to have entered a coma and were soon hidden away, in case they were ever to wake up. The whole thing was soon hushed up and the game was banned, but a few people lived to keep the tale going. A few of my friends had disappeared thanks to this game though, so Maria and I knew the story far better then we would ever want to. I'd gotten a copy of the game before it had become banned however, but I'd never thought to take it out until now. If I didn't play the game soon, I could get questioned (after all, how many of my friends could disappear without making myself a suspect?) or have the game taken away.

As I grabbed the controller and passed the other controller to Maria, I hesitated. As much as I longed for the taste of adventure, I was not unaware of the danger. If I went into a coma, I didn't know what would happen. Would my family decide I was dead and pull the plug on me? Would my short existence thus far have been in vain? It seemed like a lot to risk, but deep down I knew I had to do it. What's life if you're not living it? Still, it wasn't entirely fair to ask all this of Maria.

"Are you still sure you want to try this?" I asked, as my mind went over all of the terrible possibilities. "We could just leave now if you want."

"No." Maria replied with certainty. "Never give up, never surrender, right?" She smiled sadly, quoting one of her favorite movie's '_Galaxy Quest'_. Although I felt my insides squirming unpleasantly, I had to give a short laugh. Even in the face of unknown horror, Maria was still quoting her geeky movies.

"Gotcha'. I call Daisy though!" I added quickly, as I moved my controller up to click on the character of Princess Daisy. It wasn't my best character, but it was the one that best defined me. Besides Peach (who was the definition of girly-girl: A.K.A- NOT me), Daisy was the only girl character.

"Fine, Peach is my character, anyway!" she replied, clicking on Princess Peach. Unlike me, Maria was a geeky girly-girl, instead of the tom-boy that I was. She talked about boys, wore makeup and jewelry, and tried her hardest to keep up with the gossip. It was a pride and joy of hers that she was able to keep her femininity, in a way. I, on the other hand; prided myself in being a tomboy, a gamer, and different. After setting the game on for ten turns, I waited a moment: expecting to suddenly get drugged, disappear, or die. Nothing happened.

"Well, good lu-" And everything went black.


	2. Skateboard Scamper

"AH!" The shriek escaped my lips before I could hold myself back. My basement had suddenly transformed into a jungle, which was in the shape of a board game. Dotted across the board were little red and blue circles, as well as a few green ones. My basement was nowhere to be found and neither was Maria. Something definitely wasn't right. And none of that was the worst part, either. I _never_ shriek and that was definitely _not_ my voice…

"Daisy?" I looked up to see Princess Peach staring at me, looking scared and worried. "Um…are you alright?"

"I'm…fine." I lied; realizing that I must look like Daisy. Meanwhile, my mind was running on overdrive, trying to comprehend what my eyes were seeing. Was some crazy person in a costume in front of me, seeing things? Was I dreaming? Could this be the real Princess Peach and was I just inhibiting Daisy's body? No matter what the answer was, I knew I couldn't act suspicious. Even though I was unsure of whether or not I could trust Peach, I knew I had to get her to trust me. "I'm looking for someone by the name of Princess Maria?" Although Maria was as far from a princess as possible, all the females in this game were princesses. So it would make sense that Peach would believe Maria to be a princess if she had talked to her. The logic was very far-fetched, but that was just how my mind worked.

"No, we're the only princess's around here…why do you ask?" She replied, revealing nothing in her expression.

"Oh, it's nothing important" I replied, hastily. "I was just having a get together with her when she disappeared. It's no big deal, really." Peach just continued staring at me. I began to worry whether or not I'd made a mistake and given away my identity already. Maybe Peach wasn't as stupid as I'd always believed her to be. "Well, I'll talk to you later!" I finally finished, trying to mask my disappointment.

"I'm Maria, Lily." Peach said softly. Narrowing my eyes, I took a double look at her. Now, instead of seeing the princess I had seen before, I could see Maria peeking out from behind Peach's eyes. It made me ashamed that I hadn't been able to see it before.

"Maria! But how is that possible?" I whispered back, holding back tears. Before reaching out to hug her, I had to make sure this wasn't just a dream or a hallucination. Pinching my arm usually did the trick, so I tried that. Instead of waking up, my arm now just felt sore. So we really were in the game, I really was trapped in Daisy's body. There was no logic behind this, but I decided to forget about it. Maybe I was mad, but mad people have all the fun. I gave Peach a huge hug, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Uh, not that I want to break this moment apart, but the games beginning…" I looked up to see Luigi staring at Peach and I awkwardly. Even though I wanted very much to lose myself in my madness, even madness has to have some sense. So how was Luigi talking to me? I hadn't been with anyone besides Maria while playing the game. Was this the real Luigi?

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Peach and I squeaked instinctively. We then looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Right then…" Luigi mumbled, walking back to Koopa Kid, who was giving instructions. Maria and I followed after him a moment later. Koopa Kid was speaking in gibberish, while a speech bubble appearing above his head, translating his gibberish into English. After reading the first few bubbles, I realized that the instructions were word-for-word the same as they had been when I'd played the game, in the real world. However, I already knew the instructions so I just took the few minutes that Koopa Kid was talking to look at our surroundings. It was amazing how many little things a person overlooked while playing a video game. We were on the Donkey Kong board, and I never noticed the exact shade of brown that everything was in. Nor had I ever noticed the light tint of the sky or the odd shape of the Koopa Kid. If I wasn't so worried about the danger I would soon be facing, I would have loved to wander around the board. Suddenly dice appeared off to the side, spinning crazily fast. Mario and Luigi followed it, Maria and I close behind them. The dice began to roll very quickly, and Mario and Luigi jumped lazily. The numbers landed on four and two. I cautiously looked up at the spinning dice above my head, which was spinning far too fast for my liking.

"Is this safe?" I muttered to myself, not liking it one bit.

"Yeah, it's fine! Trust me, it's easier then it looks." I looked over to see Mario smiling over at me and Luigi studying me. Peach quickly jumped and landed on the number one.

"Well, here goes nothing…" I sighed, closing my eyes and jumping. Before I could hit the dice however, I raised my hand up defensively and punched the dice instead of head-butting it. The effect was the same, and I landed on a ten. That meant that the order we rolled it would be- Daisy, Mario, Luigi, Peach. As scared as I was, I couldn't help but stick my tongue out at Peach. She rolled her eyes in response. Yet again, a spinning dice appeared over my head, and I punched it. One. "Don't. Say. Anything." I grumbled, as I sat on the blue space directly in front of me.

"I wasn't going to." Peach smirked. Mario rolled a four, Luigi a three, and Peach a five. Now the games were really about to begin, I thought miserably. Rolling a dice was a piece of cake compared to the horror awaiting us. The horror called…Mini Games.

In the blink of an eye, I suddenly found myself standing in a blank white room. _I've gone crazy, at last. Dear God, I've gone insane. _Was the first thought to pass through my mind as I remembered all the theories I'd come up with on death and insanity over the years. Blankness meant I had one of those two things. Maybe even both, if possible. The only thing keeping the area from total blankness was a gigantic red button in the middle of the room.

"Are you okay?" I heard a voice from behind me, soft and low. So I wasn't alone in this wasteland, evidently.

"I'm f-fine." I paused, to slowly turn my head to look at the mysterious visitor. It was Luigi, who was standing behind me, looking uncomfortable. "Where are we?"

"We call it the blank room. It's sort of like a limbo in this game. Follow me, I'll explain later." I paused, debating over whether I should trust him…or myself. For all I knew I could start going insane on him or God only knows what. "Moping around is useless, you know. If you know what's good for you, you'll follow me." With that, Luigi walked off and I stared for a moment longer before following. He led me through what seemed to be an eternal whiteness, until we finally reached Mario and Peach.

"So let's begin with the basics- have we all played a Mario Party game before?" Mario asked, addressing Peach and I.

"I haven't." Peach replied.

"I have Mario Party one, five, and seven." I replied. "Are we in one of those?"

"We're in number one…or so it would seem. Which brings me to my next point- the mini game we're playing is Skateboard Scamper, can either of you use a skateboard?" Before I could worry about my lack of talent in the art of skateboarding, I felt excitement. I was going to be _in _a Mario Party game. Not using a controller, not watching the game, but living it. As dangerous as that was, I couldn't help but feel adrenaline, as well. This moment passed in an instant however, and the fear returned.

"No." Peach and I replied in unison. "Sorry." We both added, again in unison.

"Stop apologizing, there's nothing to be sorry for." Luigi muttered, annoyed. Maria burst out laughing at that, while I just blushed.

"It's alright, we can teach you." Mario replied, kindly. "First things first, we should go grab some skate boards."

"I can do that!" I automatically responded. When it came to helping out with tedious tasks I was always the first to volunteer. It was nice to feel useful and needed.

"You can? And do you know where the skate boards even are?" Luigi sneered. Evidently I'd gotten off to the wrong start with him, I realized bitterly.

"Well….no." I muttered, my face turning red. "I was hoping you'd help me with that?" I added, trying to keep at least _some_ dignity.

"Their over here, come on- we'll go together." Mario interrupted, watching the both of us warily. Peach just grinned at me, apologetically. Mario and Luigi walked on, but Peach and I lagged behind them so we could speak in semi-privacy. As much as I needed to get to know Mario and Luigi better, I was in no mood to step out of my comfort zone any more then I already had. Besides, Peach and I needed to discuss this predicament that we had found ourselves sucked into.

"Mario party, huh? This is kind of awesome!" Maria exclaimed, taking the optimistic approach, while I was taking the negative one. I mean, sure, I could see where she was coming from as well- but fear is stronger then awe, in my opinion.

"Yeah, and we're about to die. I can hardly wait." I replied, sarcasm dripping dangerously from my voice. Peach just shrugged.

"We'll be fine; it's only a game after all. Plus, it's a game for all ages, how bad can it be?" God; how I longed to have her ignorance right now. "By the way, what is this mini game?"

"Skate board Scamper?" I asked, and Peach nodded. "Well, basically we just move forward on a skateboard and hop over obstacles or to get money bags." I took a deep breath, "Meanwhile, the ground behind us is falling into a pit of lava, and if we're not fast enough- we'll fall too." I paused. "Burning slowly to death from the inside and out, while we wait for the others to finish...God only knows how long and torturous that will be." I added, for dramatic effect.

"That's…oh God, we're going to die!" She exclaimed, suddenly aware of the danger we were in and beginning to panic. Suddenly I felt a wave of guilt wash over me as I realized how selfish it had been to be so negative in my explanation.

"That's the spirit!" Luigi called over his shoulders, ending Peach and my conversation. _Great, I'm already proving to total strangers that I'm a bitch. _I thought, frustrated. If Mario and Luigi had heard our conversation, they must now think I was some kind of heartless monster that seeked to ruin their friends happiness.

When we got to the skateboards, Mario tossed one to each of us. Mario's was red, Luigi's was green, Peach's was pink, and mine was orange- typical. By the end of this game, I would be switching this 'natural order' up- I thought deviously. I snuck a side-glance at Peach, to see how she was doing, and to my dismay I found that she wasn't doing very well. Maria was a very sensitive person, and panicked easily under pressure- which was why she always tried to keep an optimistic outlook on things. When she didn't, she was prone to freaking out.

Mario paused for a moment, "I suppose it will be faster if we split up." He finally stated. "I'll train Peach. I think she could use a little cheering up." He looked pointedly at Luigi and I. "Promise me you'll behave?" He asked Luigi, though I could have sworn he was looking at me, as well. Luigi nodded his face serious.

"I promise." Mario nodded and walked away, Peach behind him. Peach gave me one quick wave before running off to keep up with Mario.

"So, you think you're going to die, do you?" Luigi began, once Mario and Peach were out of earshot. I looked down.

"I hope not…" I spoke to my feet. When Luigi didn't respond, I turned my gaze upward. "Is it scary?" I whispered.

"Scary?" Luigi scoffed. "To put it simply however bad you believe it will be, it will be a billion times worse." I nodded, not really taking in what he was saying. That couldn't be true- nothing could be worse then my own imagination.

"Will be?" I responded instead, pulling on a fake bravado. "Excuse me, but I'm not planning on getting myself killed!" Before Luigi could begin to form an argument, I continued, "Speaking of surviving, will you please teach me how to use this skateboard?" I asked, trying to add some kindness into the request. However, Luigi only snorted.

"Why should I?" without waiting for my response, he answered his own question. "I really shouldn't. That's what makes me so kind." I rolled my eyes in response, that sentence didn't even make sense!

For a long time (It could have been minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years…time was irrelevant here, as I learned) Luigi taught me how to work a skate board. It was like learning to ride a bike. At first it was difficult, frustrating, and very painful- but with a _lot _of practice I was able to move on the skateboard about five out of ten attempts. Mario and Peach did not come to visit us at all, and so I was left virtually alone with Luigi. It scared me how easy and comfortable I felt, being as I was alone with a strange person in a strange land.

While at first I believed that Luigi would most likely end up a terrible teacher, he was actually pretty good. He could detect all my faults easily (even the ones that I couldn't see) and strengthen them without resorting to a dull routine. Instead of trying to make the learning experience fun and easy for me, he was also a very tough mentor and set the bar for me impossibly high. When I made mistakes he would not be kind or comforting, but would instead move right onto what I had done wrong and how I could improve upon it next time. Most people would have hated his training style and complained about his toughness, but I honestly didn't mind. I'd rather have tough training then die. Besides teaching me about how to use a skateboard, he also taught me how to use exercise my muscles, my brain, and my reflexes. This was not to say he was by any means a perfect teacher. He was impatient and got frustrated very easily. Besides, with my extremely sensitive personality, I often felt worthless and had to hold back from breaking down. Sometimes I would wonder how things were going in the other camp with Peach, but those thoughts just frustrated me even more. Not that I wished any hardships on Peach, but I didn't like thinking that she could be laughing and enjoying herself while I had to sit here struggling. By the time Mario and Peach did return, I had learned to be an amateur skater, who could perform an Ollie with a certain amount of ease. The rest of my body had also become considerably stronger and my will, determination, and hardness had also been improved on. In what seemed like only hours, I had become a new person. I could only hope that Peach had gone through the same change.

"So are you two ready?" Mario asked, approaching a button in the middle of the white room. Peach and I shared a look, and then nodded.

"Good luck." I told her, and then turned to look at Mario and Luigi. "That goes for you two, as well. Thanks." I added to Luigi, who just nodded in response. Mario pressed the button and I steeled my nerves for the oncoming storm.

With a quick flash of darkness we were transported onto our skateboards, over a pit of lava, the brick tiles beneath us hardly feeling like any kind of a support. I quickly glanced over at my comrades to see how they were doing. Peach was on the far left, looking dangerously close to vomiting. Mario was next to her, trying to calm her down a bit. Luigi was next to him, his face hard. Next to Luigi was where I stood, feeling exactly as Peach looked.

"Are you ready?" Luigi asked, still staring ahead. "Do you remember what you just learned?"

"I hope so…" I replied, gulping. _What if I didn't remember?_ I thought, suddenly. What if all that training was in vain? But looking down at the lava, my stomach doing flips- I knew that I couldn't think that way. If my confidence was not in the best condition- I would most surely die. "Yes." I said with more certainty, changing my response. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luigi smile.

"Good."

3

My heart began to beat double as fast as it already was. The lava suddenly became more threatening.

2

I stared down at the board, repeating all of what I'd learned in my head.

1

The adrenaline pulsed in my veins. _I can do this._

GO!

Even after all my planning and worrying, It seemed unreal as I lifted my foot and began trying to pull my Skateboard ahead. As I went along the game, I realized that Luigi was right. Some things _were_ worse then anything I could imagine. The terror that thudded through my heart as I relied on pure instincts and adrenaline to carry me though was worse then anything I'd ever experienced before. But somehow I managed to make it through pretty easily- until the last jump, that is.

"Jump!" Luigi screamed, as a blue rock blocked my way. For a moment all I could do was stand shell-shocked. Looking behind me, I could see the stone falling away and the lava overtaking me. All I needed was that one last jump, but it seemed as though the fuel had run out on me. Closing my eyes for a moment and allowing the world around me to disappear, I let the confidence back into me. At the last second, I took a leap of faith and used the rest of my power to jump over the last rock. Then, pulling myself with my foot, I made it through the last few seconds of the race. As I passed the finish line, I couldn't help but feel pride, relief, and shock seize me. Looking around me, I noticed that Peach was nowhere to be seen. _Oh, the look on her face when she sees that I beat her is going to be priceless!_ I thought smugly. But after a moment, when the stone in front of me stopped falling away, I noticed Peach still wasn't on the rocks.

"Where….is…Peach?" I asked, out of breath. Luigi and Mario shared a look, then it went dark.


	3. Mushroom Mix-Up

**Mushroom Mix-Up**

Mario-Blue, (Five), 26 Coins

Luigi-Blue (Three), 26 Coins

Peach-Blue (Six), 16 Coins

Daisy-Blue (Two), 26 Coins

This time, when the dice appeared above my head- my thoughts refused to focus. Instead of worrying about how far I would move forward, my mind was still trapped in the past mini-game. It had been my decision to mess with Mario World, so any danger Peach got herself into was ultimately my responsibility. Besides, she was my friend. I needed to know she was alright. When I jumped and punched the dice, my heart wasn't really into it. I rolled a two. Mario rolled a five, Luigi and three, and Peach a six.

As I entered into the blue room once more, my only thoughts were of Peach. The game we would be competing in was Mushroom Mix-Up, a very difficult game, but I'd worry about that later. Right now Peach was my top priority. However, the second we entered the blue room- Mario moved to comfort Peach first and I was left standing alone.

"Damn…" I muttered, now feeling awkward. God, did I want to help but I didn't want to barge in if Mario had things under control. Mario was probably way more competent then I was at comforting people, anyway. Though I felt terribly ashamed, I believed it would be better if I did nothing at all.

"You're not even going to comfort your best friend?" Luigi asked, from behind me. My face turned bright red as I stared ahead, afraid to look at him. "That's low."

"That's not-"I denied, trying to form an appropriate excuse _Well, isn't this just great. _I thought, frustrated, _my inability to express emotion is already messing with my life again!_ "-I'm not good with the comforting 'thing'. I just make people feel awkward, thus more uncomfortable." I muttered, staring determined at my feet. I wasn't good with this 'comforting thing'? How flimsy of an excuse was _that_?

"That's no excuse." Luigi replied, voicing my inner doubts. I sighed, knowing deep down that he was right. Besides, there was absolutely no way that Peach would have ditched me had the roles been reverse. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. _Oh, get over it._ I thought, annoyed at myself. Slowly, I moved to where Peach and Mario were. Peach was crying and Mario was kneeling beside her.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked Peach, feeling like an idiot the second the words fell from my lips. Wasn't it painfully obvious that she wasn't okay?

"I died." She replied simply, than burst into tears. This definitely was _not_ something that was going to help improve her fragile emotions.

"Your back now though! Does it still hurt?" I asked, curious despite myself.

"My body? No." She replied, sniffling. There was a long moment, where Peach attempted to gather her strength. "It's….here." She said, her hand on her heart. "I feel so….weak. Like I'm a failure. If this were the real world, I'd be dead." She whispered.

"But it's not. Where in the real world are their fiery pits of doom?" I asked sensibly. "Your safe and that's all that matters." I finished, relieved that I had come up with a decent reply.

"Besides, you still have many more chances to prove yourself!" Mario said, being optimistic. "I know how you feel, I've been there before." He added, his voice softer. Peach nodded rapidly, than stood up, shakily.

"Well? Are you going to start training me or not?" She asked, clearly trying to make up for the weakness she'd shown before. "Mushroom mix-up, right?"

"Sure, hold on." Mario looked over at Luigi, who was still standing a few feet away. "Luigi! Come on, we're talking about the next mini-game!" Luigi nodded then joined the group, taking his time walking over to us. When we were all together, Mario began to talk again. "What do you know about the game?" he asked me.

"You stand on a black mushroom in the middle. Then toad shows a color on a flag and you run to the mushroom of that color. Then you run back to the black mushroom." I paused, thinking of how I'd often panic even when playing the game safe at home. My reflexes were terrible and though I'd improved considerably because of Luigi's training- I still was panicked under pressure.

"Okay." Mario replied, nodding." Well, that's more or less correct. But we're going to have to play this game a little differently here then you would back home. Most importantly, you're going to have to trust us."

"Well, that's easy!" Peach replied, smiling. Looking at her relieved smile, I felt a pang of jealousy. Because Peach had been such an unconfident person for so many years, it had made her extremely dependent on other people. Besides that, she was extremely innocent. No one had ever broken her heart, used her, or betrayed her trust- not yet, anyway. So trusting others was never a concern for her. However, things were not quite so easy for me. I'd once been that innocent and naïve, but that was not the case anymore. Though I'd tried to block it from my memory, I could still remember very clearly having my trust been broken. It wasn't something I was eager to repeat. As I pondered this, lost in thought, I did not notice the other three waiting impatiently for my response.

"Well?" Luigi finally asked, breaking me out of my train of thought. As I looked at Luigi, I thought of the last game. In the last game I had not hesitated before placing my life in his and Mario's hands, especially his, and I'd ended up alive and safe. If I were to be honest with myself, I wouldn't have made it had it not been for Luigi. _Hakuna Matata, put your past behind you, _I thought, vanishing my bad memories and past mistakes from my mind. _It's about time that I started anew, anyway. I'm not going to live in fear for the rest of my life, now am I?_

"Of course I do!" I replied, grinning. They all stared at me for a moment, clearly thinking that I was insane. "What?" I protested, "I just like suspense is all!" It was a lie, but there was no way that I could let them know what had really gone on in my mind. Peach laughed, while Luigi just searched my eyes suspiciously, looking for the thoughts going on in my mind. I looked down.

"Okay then…" Mario replied, watching me warily. He probably wasn't in the mood for jokes, given the circumstances. "Anyway, we're going to yell the colors and run off towards them. You can just follow us or you can watch the colors too. But sometimes their hard to see or your mind might not respond fast enough. If you just follow our lead, you should be fine!" Mario finished, giving us a reassuring smile. Peach smiled shakily back, knowing how severe the punishment would be if she lost. I felt a stab of guilt for thinking that she was the innocent one. She'd just died in the last mini game, and I was positive that Mario and Luigi had died at _some _point in the game. Maybe I was the innocent one, instead. "Any questions?"

"Just one." I said, scouring my brain for memories of Mushroom mix-up. Mario looked at me, slightly warily. "When we die- in the game I played an octopus-thing came and dragged the losers away. How does that work in this game?"

"Don't worry about that." Mario replied, smiling- now that he knew that my question hadn't been something crazy. "The 'octopus-things' as you called them, will grab you and take you off to the outskirts of the game where you'll be able to watch the rest of the game. It's not anything to be scared of. Any other questions?" I shook my head, than turned to Peach. She shook her head as well. Luigi pressed the button.

3

I felt my feet plop lightly onto the black mushroom in the middle

2

Looking to both sides, I saw Peach, Mario, and Luigi. Luigi and Mario looked prepared, while Peach was on the verge of a panic attack.

1

On a whim I grasped Peach's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

GO!

There was a moment of silence, as I cautiously took a step on the mushroom. To my surprise, the material of the mushroom was extremely gooey and slippery. I felt my heart lurch as I barely kept myself from slipping. My mind still on the fact that I had nearly died, I missed the first flag. However, Peach remembered to grab me in time and I made it onto the mushroom safely.

"Constant vigilance!" She scolded, trying to comfort me. I grinned weakly in response.

"Sorry, I got it!" I replied, shaking my nerves off. Well, mostly anyway. It wouldn't do to have everything fall apart because I was nervous. The rest of the mushrooms were pretty easy to reach as long as I followed Mario and Luigi's lead. However, as the game got faster, my mind began to panic and my feet started slipping more easily. By the last mushroom, I was barely standing still on my feet. There had been too many 'close calls' to count. Finally my body and nerves could take the stress no more, and at the last mushroom I slipped. Out of instinct, I let out a shriek of surprise. When the others turned to see me barely holding on to the yellow mushroom by just fingers, inches away from the water, their eyes widened in concern.

"Guys, ignore me! I'll let go, it will be fine!" I yelled, trying to erase any concerns they had for me. If I had to fall, I'd fall. I'd rather fall alone then bring everyone down with me.

"Who do you think we are?" Luigi asked, grabbing out a hand to me. "A good person never leaves a man behind. That's the first rule of this game!" I grasped onto his hand for support, barely keeping the shock inside me quiet. Was this really Luigi? He'd seemed like the grumpy and strict person who looked down upon people who were weak. If I'd had to have guessed, I would have thought his number one rule would be, "if someone falls behind, then their too weak and not worth saving".

"Thank you." I replied, my voice soft. I'd never experienced this much kindness before. Before, when I'd ask myself if I'd trust my friends with my life- I never knew for sure what the answer was. I mean, who'd ever think I'd be in that kind of a situation anyway? I sure as hell didn't. But looking up at this man, this stranger, I knew that I could definitely trust him with my life.

"It's nothing." He replied, looking away. "Guys, help!" He added, turning his head slightly to look towards where Mario and Luigi had been watching dumbly. Mario automatically surged into action, grabbing Luigi by the waist and pulling. Peach hesitated a moment, but then decided to grab Mario and pull him. With their conjoint efforts, I was able to get over the mushroom. I briefly wondered why the game hadn't continued on despite my struggles, but my relief overpowered any source of logic.

"Thank you, you guys." I said quietly, looking away. I'd always had trouble trying to look people I respect in the eye. After this, Mario and Luigi definitely were added into that list.

"Don't worry about it!" Mario replied, smiling. "You would have done the same if had been any of us, right?" I nodded, wondering if that were true. He wasn't putting my fear into account, after all. As I searched for an appropriate way to tell them how this wasn't just 'nothing', the game faded into black.


	4. Tight Rope Walker

**Round 3-Tight Rope Walker**

Mario-Blue (Five), 39 Coins

Luigi-Blue (Six), 39 Coins

Peach-Blue (One), 29 Coins

Daisy-Red (Three), 33 Coins

As I appeared in the blue room once more, a panic seized me. A minute ago I had been enveloped in relief, knowing I had friends to stand by me. If I were to die, they would catch me. But suddenly reality was back, and reality was _not_ my friend. Thanks to that wake-up call, I was now painfully reminded that I was in the middle of an "everyone for themselves" game. In other words, I was screwed.

"Hey guys." I waved brightly, pretending everything was okay with me. "So, I guess I'll be practicing by myself this time?" I laughed humorlessly. This game was completely out of my league. Balance wasn't my strongest suit while I was on level ground, let alone a _thin rope?_ Yeah, this wasn't going to be good. Besides that, the other three would be shooting bombs at me. It would probably be easier to just jump off in the beginning of the game, honestly.

"Who told you that?" Luigi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Mario is teaching Peach to use the bombs and how to aim and paddle…I'll teach you how to keep your balance and avoid the bombs."

"Why?" I asked, shocked. Why the hell would he want to help me, his enemy? If I won, he'd have to lose points and possibly not win the game. Besides, it was clear that there was already little chance that I knew anything. Wouldn't it be easier to just kill me off in the beginning instead of giving me false hope? Luigi just stared at me, his eyes slowly narrowing dangerously. _Whoops._

"Because we're your friends!" Mario replied, and Peach nodded her head in agreement. "Speaking of, I'd better go help Peach! See you guys later!" Mario added, after taking one look at Luigi's glare. Great. Some friend he was!

"Why?" Luigi repeated, his voice deathly quiet. "Are you really asking me _why_? Do you not trust Mario? Do you not trust me?" He asked. I shook my head, realizing the unfortunate implications of my question.

"Of course I trust you! Just…we're enemies right now for this mini-game. Wouldn't it be smarter to not help me?" I paused, trying to form the right words. "I do trust you, you saved my life during both mini-games. But…when it comes down to it, we're all out to win and get out of here…" I trailed off, looking at my feet. I could practically _feel_ his glare boring holes into my head.

"If we're all out here to 'win or get out of here', why have I helped you before then? Why would this round be any different?" He asked, logically. I nodded, realizing the truth behind his statement. He didn't have to help me in the first two games. While helping me pass wasn't harming himself, it certainly wasn't helping to have competition. My face turned red with shame.

"Oh….yeah. Sorry." I muttered, sitting down. "I'm not used to this, yet." I added. Luigi snorted, but moved over to sit beside me.

"Believe me, I know how you feel." He said quietly, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Just don't you _ever_ believe that we'd let you fall, okay? Even if we have to shoot at you, I'd never give myself an unfair advantage." I nodded, not understanding the kindness. What did I do to deserve this?

"You will kill me if necessary though?" I asked, looking him in the eye.

"Yes."

"Okay." I smiled weakly. "Thanks for helping me, anyway." I added. It felt a little weird to be thanking a person who was going to be killing me, but yet somehow it made perfect sense in the situation.

"No problem." He jumped up, reaching a hand out to me. Grabbing it, I jumped back onto my feet. "So, how well are you with balance?"

The training was yet again very difficult. I had to stand on my left foot for two minutes straight (Luigi counted the seconds), then my right foot. After that, I had to stand on one foot for two minutes while hopping around. Then came the walking in a straight line challenge. Then I repeated everything blindfolded. It wasn't easy. After that, I did everything while Luigi threw stuff at me. That took a lot of practice, especially since my nerves were already jumpy and the cannon balls _hurt_. But by the end of the practicing, I felt much more confident. Even if I was to die, I was positive that I'd at least make it a few steps before falling off. That was more then I'd ever imagined possible.

"I'm going to leave you for a few minutes, okay? Keep practicing." Luigi finally ordered, turning around and walking off without even giving me a moment to respond. For a moment I contemplated following him, but then I decided against it. Whatever he was doing was his own business. Perhaps he was creating a plan against me or practicing for himself? Though allowing him to do that would be risking my safety, it was only fair that he had a chance to practice too. For what seemed like an hour long, I continued practicing- walking around in circles, pretending to be on a rope. Eventually, the practicing lessoned and I began just pacing regularly. When another five minutes passed and Mario, Luigi, and Peach didn't return- I began to panic.

"What if they're in danger?" I asked myself quietly, deciding to go looking for them. I'd never be able to live with myself if I let them die because I was too busy following orders. It was time for me to take some action. As I walked aimlessly ahead, I began to hear voices. As I neared the voices I realized the three others were talking in hushed tones, as though swapping secrets. Fortunately, they were far away and not facing towards where I was. As I reached an area within earshot, I immediately crouched down, hiding behind a rowboat. It was their own fault that they were taking so long. If they had finished their conversation sooner, there would have been no need for me to eavesdrop.

"Do you get all of that? I know it's hard to absorb." I heard Mario saying, presumably talking to Peach.

"Yeah, it's just…your right, it _is_ a lot to absorb!" There was a pause. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You need to know." Luigi replied. "I know you trust us, so it would be right to trust you in return, wouldn't it? Telling you this information is not something to be taken lightly."

"I see that!" Peach exclaimed. "But why aren't you telling Daisy this? She has a right to know too!" I felt my heart skip a beat at the sound of my name. Peach had a good point though. Why were they hiding information from me? What had I done wrong?

"She…there's something 'off' about her. I can't place my finger on it, but I'm not sure we can trust her yet." Mario answered slowly, as though hoping not to offend Peach. Little did he know that I was hanging on his every word.

"Why not? She's my friend, isn't that enough proof?" Peach replied, her voice sounding offended. It gave me some joy to know that at least _someone _was sticking up for me.

"She's your friend? What kind of friend is she really?" Luigi replied, bluntly. "The first thing she did when you got here was make sure you were scared and sent you into a panic. Then, after she beat you at the Skateboard Scamper, her eyes immediately lit up. Instead of being worried about your safety, she was marveling in her own victory over you."

"But-" I could hear Peach was beginning to question my motives and it killed me inside. It took every fiber of my being not to jump out from behind the boat right that second and claim my innocence.

"But what?" Luigi retorted. "Finally, think about this. After you _died_, who went over to comfort you?"

"Mario…" Peach replied, defeated. "But then Daisy came!" she exclaimed, as though suddenly remembering.

"Only after I told her to. I know this is hard to hear, but you need to be warned. I don't know what to make of this girl yet- maybe she's innocent maybe she's not. You just have to be careful." There was a long silence after that, in which I could feel myself losing my best friend. It took more strength than the entire game combined to hold in the tears threatening to flow down my cheeks. To think that only a game ago I had believed myself to be in the company of great people. _But they are still great people,_ I admitted to myself. _You're just not deserving of them._

"That…that can't be true." Peach whispered. I didn't have to hear the rest. Getting up, I ran with all my energy back to button. In the back of my mind I made sure not to make too much noise- knowing that if they heard me it would only make things worse. Sitting by the button, I sat in fetal position- desperately holding in the tears that were beginning to leak out. What made it the worse was that everything Mario and Luigi had said was true. There was no one to blame but myself. _Of course they can't trust me, you idiot. _I thought angrily, _What have you done to prove yourself? When Mario and Luigi showed you kindness, you hid from them and acted suspiciously. Even to your closest friend you were a jerk. Why did they even bother to be nice to me at all? _The guilt continued to leak past my defenses and began to swallow me whole.

"Hey, did I say you were allowed to sleep on the job?" I heard Luigi ask, sneaking up behind me. He laid a hand on my shoulder when I didn't respond. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, lifting my head. I couldn't bear to look anyone in the eyes, feeling too ashamed. "You should just press the button." I stood up, not wanting to know what was going on in the others minds. Were they pitying me? Were they suspicious? Did they know I'd heard them? Which would be the worst?

"Luigi, I think she heard." Mario finally said quietly. I looked up quickly to see Luigi nodding. Knowing that a talk was coming, I took a chance and pressed the button. I'd had too many confrontations in one sitting. For a girl who had spent her entire life avoiding any confrontation in any way possible, I had drained all my strength in one day (or whatever it was). I could take no more of this.

3

I felt the guilt pulse through my veins as I looked down at my friends below me.

2

They looked back up at me, disappointment flaring in every one of their eyes. They now knew how weak I really was.

1

I focused on the task at hand, trying to remember all that I had learned about balancing myself and avoiding the bombs.

GO!

For the first few steps of the game, no one shot at me. Whether it was because they were being nice or perhaps they felt guilty, I didn't know. Eventually, once I began to get the hang of things, the shooting started. It was extremely difficult to stay balanced when my mind was also concerned about avoiding a bomb to the head. Still, I was strong and by some miracle I managed to keep walking. _Just one more step, just one more step…._I muttered to myself over and over again, encouraging myself to keep trying. But my luck didn't last and I was eventually hit.

The moment I was hit I lost all my balance and began falling off the rope. _This is it…_I thought sadly, dreading my death. But at the last moment, I instinctively crouched onto my knees and grabbed the rope by my hands and legs. I looked like an upside-down sloth.

"Is that allowed?" I heard Luigi scream, shocked.

"Who knows?" Mario laughed. "Well, it works doesn't it?" While they were distracted, I took the moment to slowly inch forward on my hands and legs. It was much more difficult to hang on this way, but thankfully the finish line was close. Only a few more steps…BOOM! Another bomb went flying behind my head and I struggled to move faster. This game had a time limit too and I couldn't afford to be slow. _As slow as a sloth, _I thought to myself ironically. Finally, I made it through the finish line and everything went black. I'd survived!


	5. Bobsled Run

**Round 4-Bobsled Run**

Mario-Red, (Three), 36 Coins

Luigi-Blue (Two), 42 Coins

Peach-Blue, (Six), 32 Coins

Daisy-Red (Three), 40 Coins

"Hey partner!" I smiled as I looked over at Mario. It made me a bit uneasy to be partnered up with him, being as I knew him the least well. More importantly, he was the least likely to trust me.

"Hey! So I guess I'm training you this time?" He looked at me, guilt showing plainly on his face. Clearly, he could still remember the events of the last turn. Unfortunately, so could I. Ignoring the guilt pulsing through my veins, I smiled.

"I guess so! I've got to be honest though, I'm not much of a runner…or a driver. I still haven't gotten my license!" The joke was lame and unfunny, but Mario laughed politely all the same.

"Don't worry about it! I'll help you out! Come on, we should go get the bobsled's." He walked off and I turned behind me to see Luigi and Peach watching me as though waiting for my next move. I knew Peach was still hurt from what the others had said, so I couldn't look her in the eye. Luigi was just ashamed of me.

"Do you guys want me to get your bobsleds too?" I asked, quietly. It wasn't much, but sometimes a kind deed could go a long way.

"Yeah, that will make _everything_ better." Peach answered, disgust plain in her voice. I flinched, knowing that I had to explain myself.

"Look, I know I made a few wrong decisions. Can we just leave it alone?" I asked, frustrated. First I had gotten stuck in a video game, now I was stuck in a soap opera.

"You've been mean to all three of us since we got in the games! I've tried to 'leave it alone', but your not getting any better!" Peach screamed. I didn't know where this was coming from, but suddenly all the pent up frustration, fear, anger that I'd had since the beginning of the game exploded.

"_I'm _not getting any better? What, am I not allowed to be a little mean? Am I not allowed to be happy? Am I not allowed to feel confused? I'm not like you, Maria! When things don't go the way I planned, I deal with it! I don't scream and cry like a two-year old! I hold it in and try to move on! Sorry if I'm not happy-go-lucky right now, I'm a little stressed, okay?" I exploded, not caring what I was saying or who was listening. I couldn't take all this quietness and awkwardness anymore. This was why people considered me a quiet person. I hid my feelings well in public, but sometimes a person just needed some alone time to vent out their pain. Without that 'alone time', things didn't go so well. There was a silence around the room.

"So now the truth comes out, huh?" Peach asked quietly, her voice cold. "I'm just a crying baby, is that it? Glad I know where I stand now." We stood for a moment, both staring at each other, our eyes cold. Sixteen years of friendship were all crumbling before my eyes in a matter of seconds.

"Come on, you've said enough." Mario whispered from behind me, his voice firm. I looked at Peach for one more second, before turning away in disgust. Following Mario, I went to go get the bobsleds.

"Daisy, wake up!" Mario waved a hand in front of my face and I snapped to attention. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" He asked, sighing. We'd been practicing for a while now, after having gotten our bobsled and given Peach and Luigi's there's. But the practicing was having no effect on me and I was drowning myself in my guilt.

"Of course I did!" I replied, defensively. Mario raised his eyebrow. "Okay….no. I didn't." Mario sighed, moving to sit next to me on the bobsled. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was wrong with me.

"Daisy, look at me." Lightly, he lifted my head. "You have to focus on the task at hand. What's done is done. All that matters now is making sure we make it out of this mini-game alive. Then you can worry about everything else, okay?" I shook my head, knowing that I was unable to follow his request.

"I'm sorry, Mario. I just…can't. God, why are you being so nice to me? You all know that I'm just terrible person, I've clearly proven that time and time again…" Mario put a finger to my lips, shushing me.

"Don't say that, Daisy. I know you're not a terrible person, you're just stressed. Give the other two time and they'll figure it out too. Peach may be angry with you now, but that's to be expected after a fight. As for Luigi…" Mario paused. "This is a little hard for him, okay? You know, he used to be exactly like you." I stared at Mario in shock.

"Really?" I asked, unable to picture it. How could Luigi, so brave and strong…and so cold, be anything like me?

"Yes. He bottles up his feelings too which is why he can appear to be blunt. If he doesn't say what he thinks, he'll hold it all in until he can't take it anymore. I think you remind him of himself." I nodded, still surprised. Mario continued, "But this isn't about either of them right now. Right now we need to work on your survival, okay?" I nodded, feeling a lot better.

"Thanks." I replied, quietly. Mario just nodded.

"Don't be thanking me yet, the games still not over!" I laughed. For the rest of the time Mario taught me how to use the bobsled, how to steer and how to push it. The part I had the most trouble with was jumping onto the bobsled in the beginning, so I worked on that part extra hard. Then Mario practiced giving me instructions and improving my reflexes a little more. His training was a lot less stressful then Luigi's was, and Mario was a much kinder and patient teacher. I wondered how Peach was doing in the other camp and whether or not they had said anything about me. Knowing Peach as well as I did, she was probably going off and complaining about every single thing I'd ever done to bug her. When I got back, I'd be shocked if Luigi had any respect for me at all. Still, at least I knew I had Mario beside me.

"You ready to go?" Mario asked, after a few more minutes of practicing. I nodded.

"Ready when you are!" I replied, smiling. It was scary how odd it felt to be smiling. Mario smiled in return and we started walking back toward the button. When we got there, Luigi and Peach were already waiting. I felt a sudden anger and hatred when I saw Peach and I just felt like a terrible person when I saw Luigi.

"You two ready?" Mario asked amiably. Luigi gave a short nod before glaring at me. Well, not exactly glaring. It could have been my imagination, or perhaps I was exaggerating things. But whatever that look was, I didn't like it at all. Mario pressed the button.

3

I felt a chill blow through the air and I shivered slightly at the icy cold

2

Mario gave me a smile and we both prepared to push the Bobsled

3

Looking quickly to the right, I saw Peach still glaring at me

GO!

The second the countdown went off, I immediately began pushing the bobsled. Mario and I pushed with all our strength, but it hardly budged. Looking quickly over at Peach and Luigi, I saw they were having a similar problem.

"Mario, is it supposed to go this slowly?" I asked, panicking, What if we never even started the race?

"Yeah, just keep pushing!" He yelled back. After a few minutes of seemingly going nowhere, the Bobsled finally began to start sliding down the hill and Mario and I hopped in. It was kind of funny how easy the jumping in had been, when I thought that would be the most difficult part. A moment later Peach and Luigi were beside us. The race went well for the first few minutes, especially since I was working harder then ever before. This time if I messed up, I wouldn't only be endangering myself. If I messed up Mario would have to suffer. I couldn't allow that to happen. Through the entire game, Luigi and Peach were tailing us. Finally, we reached the part where the sides of the field left, and that's when I began to panic.

"Mario!" I shrieked, fear overpowering me.

"You're going to be okay!" At that moment our Bobsled was hit and it took a sharp turn to the edge. It was an extremely close call.

"Hey! What are you playing at?" I screamed at Peach, disgusted by her tactics. Was she really going to try to kill me?

"Oops, that was a mistake!" Peach lied, grinning tauntingly. Trying to ignore her, Mario and I regained our position, this time behind Luigi and Peach. The walls returned this time and I planned my revenge. Peach was supposed to be my friend and friends didn't do that to each other. If that was how she was going to play it then so be it. When the walls disappeared again, I pushed hard on the acceleration. Hitting the car in front of us, I heard Peach shriek in surprise. _Serves her right_, I thought smugly. After that, she began to go slower and I smirked. Had she really lost her nerve that easily? But after a few minutes, I began to get a little nervous. What if she was trying to lure me into a false sense of security? When we returned to the area with no walls, I learned Peach's plan. Right before the huge jump, Peach started pushing my bobsled, slowing Mario and I down. When the jump came, our bobsled was too slow to make it. We began to fall over the edge. A moment later I saw Peach and Luigi flying over us, and I cursed to myself.

"Mario, should we back up?" I asked, looking at Mario in concern. Mario didn't say anything. "We're going to die, aren't we?" I asked, changing my question. Mario nodded. "Can't we just try to run out the timer?" Mario shook his head. "Ah." I replied, worried now. Looking down into the dark abyss, I closed my eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit Peach and Luigi." I muttered, thinking back on how eager I had been to get revenge.

"It's alright, you were angry." He said, quietly. He looked as though his thoughts were someplace else. I'd never seen Mario look so sad. On instinct, I grabbed Mario's hand and gave it a squeeze. He closed his eyes. We stayed in this position until the bobsled finally tipped over the edge and we fell to our deaths. Somehow I didn't feel worried. Knowing that Mario was beside me, I felt safe. Everything was going to be okay. I felt the air around me pressing up against my face, like how it felt going down a hill on a roller coaster. My stomach was flipping up, my heart was beating rapidly, but this time I didn't scream. After a minute or two of this, it went dark.


	6. Hot Rope Jump

**Round 5-Hot Rope Jump**

Mario-Blue, (Five), 39 Coins

Luigi-Blue (Six), 1 Star, 32 Coins

Peach-Blue, (One), 45 Coins

Daisy-Blue (Three), 43 Coins

When I returned once more to the white room, I was in no mood to see Peach and Luigi. 'We'll try to protect you!' Luigi had told me. What a blatant lie that was! Not only had he not helped me in the last challenge (which wasn't his responsibility, anyway. That wasn't the part I was angry about), but he and Peach had tried to kill me…when it wasn't necessary. That was just cruel. Sharing a look with Mario, I smiled faintly. _Thank you for calming me down, _my eyes said. He smiled faintly in return.

"I'm going to go sit alone, okay?" I muttered, turning to Luigi and Peach. I was not even able to look at my two ex-friends. If I did, I might lose it and start screaming or try to strangle them. Doing that would not improve matters in the slightest and would just hurt everyone.

"Wait!" Peach called out. For a moment I was surprised, but then the anger and betrayal returned.

"What do you want?"

"I'm sorry." Peach muttered, looking down at her feet. She took a gulp, then hesitantly turned her eyes back up to meet mine and then Mario's. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and I'm sorry I pushed you two off the edge." I looked at her in a state of shock. Where was this coming from? Wasn't it only a few minutes ago that she hated me? What was with the mood-swings? I looked at Luigi, to see if he had anything similar to say. He had his arms crossed, and was watching Peach with his eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, too." He added, softly. It looked painful for him to be apologizing. "I wasn't controlling the bobsled, but I didn't stop Peach either. I'll take my blame, where blame is due." I nodded, looking at Mario to see what his response was. He had his eyes narrowed, as though sorting out whether or not the other two were being genuine.

"I forgive you." I replied, taking the lead and moving forward to give Peach a hug. It would be so easy to keep hating her, but I was tired of this hate.

"Thanks." Peach whispered. Letting go of her, I offered the closest I could give to a reassuring smile.

"Hey, we're even now right?" I joked lightly. Peach chuckled quietly.

"I forgive you too, Luigi." I added, turning my attention to Luigi. He nodded, breaking eye contact after more then a second. _Wow, he must be very ashamed!_ I thought to myself. As terrible as it was to think this, I was a little triumphant over puncturing Luigi's tough exterior. Turning to Mario, I wondered what his response was.

"I…" He was at a loss for words. The betrayal in his eyes was clear and his pain was practically tangible. "I can't stay mad at you guys." He finally muttered. "Everything is just too fragile. I just don't believe you two did that…after everything we've been through…" Luigi and Peach looked away uncomfortably.

"I really am sorry." Peach repeated, tears starting to flow from her cheeks. But she pushed them back, using will power that I didn't even know she possessed. Luigi nodded in agreement.

"I am too, Mario." Luigi said quietly. "I'm….I am sorry." He forced himself to look at Mario and hold his gaze. After a few moments, Mario smiled.

"I guess I can let it pass." He finally said, lightly. Mario then gave Luigi a hug…well, a man-hug anyway. Luigi patted Mario awkwardly on the back. After a few moments of silence, I spoke up.

"So, hot rope jump?"

Preparing for the next challenge was a new experience, especially because Mario and Luigi didn't do the teaching. Instead, Peach and I were forced to try to help them out. Peach was much better then I was at the jump rope, but I wasn't so bad. Mario and Luigi weren't too good, though. Eventually, we realized that Mario and Luigi were learning at different levels, so we split up the teaching. Peach decided to teach Mario, so as to get on better terms with him after the whole betrayal. I was fine with that, especially since that meant I now had the chance to get revenge on Luigi for all of his hard teaching.

"So the tables have turned." I teased, as we practiced jumping on one foot with the jump rope. A lot of these exercises were useless, but I couldn't help but flaunt my power in his face a bit.

"I…never…considered…jumping….over…a…rope…a…real…sport." Luigi grumbled, as he panted. "It…..is….a….stupid….game….for….girls…." Kicking my foot in front of the rope, I allowed Luigi to trip and fall over. "Hey! What was that for?" He demanded.

"Only a stupid sports for girls? Well then how come you can't do it, Mr. Macho Man?" I sneered, angrily. If there was one thing I couldn't stand, it was guys that thought they better then women.

"I'm learning. Maybe you're not being a good teacher!" He snapped, as he wiped some sweat from his face. Slowly, I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you really going to blame me? You really are a man." I retorted, giving him a piece of his own medicine. I didn't honestly think that about men, I just wanted to get a rise out of him. Though I hated to admit it, I was actually having fun bickering with him. Luigi glared at me, than picked up the rope again, to continue practicing. I smiled and shook my head. He was too serious for his own good.

"Daisy?" I looked over to see Peach and Mario walking over. "I just finished up practicing with Mario. Do you think we could do some group stuff? Like running through the rope and jumping with more then one people at once. That's what this game is going to be like, right?" I nodded. Luigi stopped jumping, and we began the second stage of training. It was actually fun though Jumping Rope still wasn't my strong suit. But I had done these things plenty of times in gym, so that comforted me greatly. After a while we all were improved and most of my nerves were gone. Peach pressed the button and we started the game.

3

I observed the 'rope' next to me, feeling the heat warm my skin

2

I picked a song I had heard from when I was younger, and stuck it in my head. It was a song for jump roping and it helped calm my nerves

1

I gazed at the fire in fear.

GO!

At first the challenge was easy, though I was not accustomed to having the ability to jump so high. It messed up my balance a bit and slowed me down. But the game was easy in the beginning, until the rope began to twirl faster. Thinking back, I remembered a practice exercise that my band teacher had once taught our class. He would make us play an easy piece like 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' or something, and he would keep changing the speeds. It was a practice exercise that I never really got the hang of. When the rope began to move faster and faster, I tried to speed up my song to the appropriate speed, but my thoughts grew confused and my brain shut down. The next second I was smacked in the stomach by the burning rope. Pain coursed through my body, as I felt myself go on fire. _I bet I'm one of very few who has been on fire and had her thoughts working clearly! _ I thought, before the pain began to overpower any inclination my mind had to think. The pain was unbearable, as I felt the flames swallowing me whole. To make it worse I was hopping up and down on my butt, flying everywhere. It would have been hilarious, had I not been in such horror and anguish. Eventually, when the pain seemed unbearable and I wondered if I really could die, everything finally went black.


	7. Pipe Maze

**Round 6- Pipe Maze**

Mario- Red, (Four), 46 Coins

Luigi- Blue, (Six), 1 Star, 42 Coins

Peach- Red (Two), 55 Coins

Daisy- Red, (Five), 40 Coins

Although I had just returned from a 'death', when I returned to the blue room I couldn't help but feel relieved. For once, we were in a safe game. My only challenge was to stand at the bottom of a pipe and hope that ten coins happened to land on my head. If every task could have been like this one, I would have been very thankful. It was also nice to know that after being traumatized for life….twice in a row, I would be getting a well-deserved chance to take a breath and relax. There was _no _way I was letting anybody touch that button anytime soon. Sure, I wanted to go home. But there was no way I was getting home in the condition I was in now! As I sat apart from the others, thinking this all through, I could feel their eyes on me. They were silently asking each other if I was okay, I was sure of it. Well, I hoped so anyway. Finally, they could take it no more.

"Hey, are you alright?" Peach asked, coming over to me first, which was a shock. After all, when she had been rocking back and forth in anguish I hadn't done anything for her. Not helping me out in return would be the perfect passive aggressive way to get revenge. But she had long since put that past her and I was glad of that.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied, grinning to show her that I wasn't lying. No, I wasn't perfectly alright. But I was far from broken. It had been a painful experience and terrifying too…but instead of causing me pain it just made me want to win even more. "Thanks."

"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" She replied, punching me _very _lightly. I chuckled, sitting back on the blank ground.

"Right." I replied, grinning. Luigi and Mario, seeing that we were done conversing, took that as their cue to come over to us. They sat beside us, their backs to the red button. It felt weird to be sitting here like circle time for some class, but peaceful as well. After the last few rounds I hardly believed that peace was even possible here. But alas, I was proven wrong.

"Do you guys know what this game is and how it's played?" Luigi asked, always in game-mode. I nodded, while Peach shook her head. "Well, it's simple. I pick a pipe to put 10 coins down. Then the coins go through the pipes for a while until they land on one of our heads. The person who it lands on gets 10 coins." Peach nodded, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"That's it? You mean to tell me there's no danger?" Peach asked doubtfully. "There's a mini-game that's _not_ about torturing us?" Luigi nodded, a trace of a smile on his lips.

"Surprised, huh? Well, this game has been kind enough to give us a break."

"That's a relief." I muttered. Once again we were overtaken by a long silence. It was not an uncomfortable silence but I couldn't help but notice a small ominous tinge about it. It was as though we were on borrowed time, like this was the calm before the storm. However, the thought disappeared a moment later. Finally, after the silence had stretched on for long enough, I stood. It made me feel brave to be the first one ready to jump back into the fray. "You guys ready?" I asked, noticing how reluctant they all seemed to be.

"Ready when you are!" Peach replied first. "Could you lend a hand though?" Peach added, smiling sheepishly at me. I rolled my eyes, acting as though I were exasperated by her antics.

"_Fine…_" I replied with fake aggravation. Mario and Luigi stood up a moment later. We made our way over to the button and paused a moment before pressing it. None of us were truly ready to enter the 'danger zone' again, no matter what we wanted to believe. _Grow up! _I scolded myself, then moved forward and pressed the button before I could decide against it.

3

I stood, staring at the pipe over me in slight fear.

2

I wondered vaguely whether I was supposed to catch the treasure, it would float, or it would bop me on the head.

1

Sighing, I decided I didn't care. Getting worked up over this mini-game would be truly pathetic.

Go!

When the game began, I instantly relaxed. It was odd, feeling no apprehension, no nerves. Maybe this place could have been a cool and fun little adventure, if every round had been like this. No worries, no fear, no panic. Beside me, I could see Luigi concentrating hard, deciding how he would try to make himself win. I assumed he was smart enough to figure that out. Mario was next to him, looking completely at ease. Beside me on the other side was Peach, to whom I sent a thumbs up towards. Finally I saw that Luigi relax and I knew that he had let the treasure down the pipe. I could hear the clinking of the wood against metal, although I could not see anything from my angle. Finally the treasure fell and I was surprised to notice that it fell right over my head! Obviously Luigi had miscalculated. I turned to give Luigi and apologetic look, only to see that he was already watching me and I could have sworn he was smiling. I raised an eyebrow, but before I could say anything more- everything went dark.


	8. Hot Bob-Omb

**Round 7- Hot Bob-Omb**

Mario- Red, (Four), 43 Coins

Luigi- Red, (Two), 1 Star, 39 Coins

Peach- Red (Six), 52 Coins

Daisy- Red, (One), 37 Coins

Although I had known in my heart that the peace couldn't last, it still hurt to find out that this round we would be playing a game where one of our members would have to get blown up. Instead of a normal game, where everyone would have a fighting chance to win, this round somebody would have to take the fall. If only the game could have involved a hot potato, instead of an exploding bomb. This wasn't going to be good.

"Look. I don't want to see any of you blown up." I began, surprising myself with my boldness. "Why don't I just hold onto the bomb the entire time? When it explodes, I'll take the fall. No worrying, no panic, no chance. Besides, I owe you guys for all your help. Losing one game can't be so bad, right?" I grinned shakily, not wanting them to see how flimsy my will was and how much I hoped someone would relieve me of my sacrifice.

"Daisy, you can't-" Peach began, watching me in horror. "Chance would be better. At least we could have no hard feelings that way! We should just play it the way it should be played and leave it at that." I met Maria's eyes solemnly, but I couldn't agree. I would rather have control over my fate than let luck take me. For a long moment we both stood silently watching each other, before finally turning to Mario and Luigi in order to hear their opinion.

"So I take it you both know this game is basically hot potato then?" Luigi began, watching us warily. "I would listen to Peach. If you take the bomb, we risk overcomplicating this entire game and giving you an advantage. We're all on clear slates here and no one owes anyone anything and I'd like to leave it that way." He paused. "Mario?" This entire time Mario had been sitting silently, hardly listening to the three of us. "Mario?"

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. I mean no!" Luigi raised an eyebrow, while Peach and I just watched him in confusion. "What were we talking about?" Luigi rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Daisy suggested sacrificing herself. We were discussing whether we should let her do that or whether we should let chance make our choice." Mario nodded slowly.

"I was thinking…neither." The second the words left Mario's mouth, Luigi's entire stance changed. His body seemed to slump a bit, as his entire face creased in worry. Peach and I shared a look of mutual confusion, before Luigi continued.

"Jake, you can't possibly…" Luigi began, his eyes softening and his voice dripping with concern. "It won't work. You know it can't work. _Please _don't try it." Luigi begged. My eyes widened, shocked to hear Luigi begging. Things must be extremely serious if Luigi was resorting to begging his friend. And who was Jake?

"I'm tired of sitting around waiting! I'm tired of risking my life every round. We could make it work, Bill. We could get out of here. Don't you want that?" Mario implored, looking more serious than I'd ever seen him.

"It's suicide." Luigi muttered, sounding like a man who knew he couldn't win. Mario shook his head defiantly, looking at the ground in concentration. Finally, I could take no more.

"Jake? Bill? Suicide? What are guys talking about? You're making no sense! I mean, I know we're in Mario Party, but this is insane even for that!" I spluttered, looking between the two of them in frustration. Mario and Luigi shared a look, before Mario began to speak.

"How did you guys get in the game?" He spoke softly, motioning to Peach and myself. I looked to Maria, wondering if I should give away our pasts. She nodded slowly, her face knowing.

"We were playing some video game at my house…in this other universe kind of… and we got kind of…sucked into the game." I explained lamely. "We're not really the characters. We're just two teenage girls." Mario nodded and Luigi watched me intensely. It was silent for a long moment, before everything seemed to click into place. I must have known it all along, but never allowed myself to really think too deeply about it. "You two…you aren't Mario and Luigi, are you? Who _are _you?" Mario and Luigi shared a look, before Mario continued.

"I'm Jake and this is Bill. We were both college students who decided one day to pick up the new game Mario World and…we've been here ever since. The only way out of here is to win. This is the third game we've been on and that's where you two came in. I already explained all of this to Peach back when we played Tightrope Walker. We…we didn't know if we could trust you at that point." He paused here, looking away in shame. "That was a mistake and I apologize." I smiled at the floor, amused by the absurdity of it all.

"You don't need to apologize…I don't really make myself very likable, do I?" I laughed bitterly, but continued on regardless. "Look, what's past is past. Forget about it." I added, when I noticed that Mario looked like he was about to argue. "So you mean to say that we're all just real life people trapped in a video game?" Looking at my fellow players, at how serious their faces were as they discussed Mario Party, I started to giggle at the absurdity. "My elementary school self would be thrilled!" Nobody looked nearly as amused as I felt at that moment.

"You hadn't figured that much out before?" Luigi scoffed. "What? Did you think this was just a dream?" Luigi's harshness didn't do much to put a damper on my mood, however. The entirety of the past couple of games was now finally hitting me and it surprised me how seriously I had taken everything before. This was complete insanity.

"I didn't think much about it all." I shrugged, finally allowing my laughter to die out. There was a long silence, while everyone on the room glared at me as though laughing was some felony. Finally, I remembered what was going on and tried to continue on normally. "So what is this about a suicide mission?" Despite my lighthearted tone, the seriousness of earlier was slowly returning. I couldn't lose it now, not when everything was getting intense. Mario waited for about a minute, watching me carefully as though expecting me to burst into hysterics again at any second. Finally he continued.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of dying on a regular basis. I think I might just have a plan that might avoid that…"

As we stood before the button, I could feel myself getting nervous again. Could this plan of Mario's really work? Or were we dooming us all? I honestly didn't know. But it was about time that we took a risk and I was ready for whatever would come. Anything was preferable to being stuck in this game forever. With one last important look, Mario pressed the button

3

I closed my eyes and prayed and wished that everything would be okay.

2

But what if it wasn't? What if this _was _a suicide mission, like Luigi had warned?

1

I took a deep breath and closed by eyes. Panic would do me no good now.

GO!

While my eyes were still closed, I felt the bomb go fall squarely into my arms and I cringed inwardly. Why was it always me? Opening my eyes, I could feel the other three staring at me intently. Would I make the sacrifice that I had earlier intended? Or would I follow the plan? Everything rested in my shoulders right now and despite what Mario had said earlier, I knew that he and Luigi still didn't really trust me. This was my big moment and I knew I couldn't screw this up. Taking a deep breath, I walked forward and placed the bomb in the middle of the game. No one was going to die today, that I'd just made sure of. There was a long and deafeningly loud silence, while we all waited to see what would happen. The silence seemed to last an eternity as we all waited to see if this would work. By five seconds in, I was about ready to throw the whole plan away just to end the excruciating wait. I started to move forward, when-

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? WHO DARES TO CHALLENGE ME?" If I didn't know that it were physically impossible, I could have sworn my eyes bugged out of my head. Mario and Luigi I could take, but Bowser? He definitely wasn't just some college student trapped in a body. He was an evil villain like the ones that had so fascinated me during my younger years. I looked up to see Peach standing across from me, her fists clenched at her side as she fought desperately to hold in tears of fear. On either side of me, Luigi and Mario stood their ground- the fear in their eyes hardly showing. Looking back up at Bowser, I marveled at the scenario I was in. It just seemed so impossible…

"Bowser?" I mumbled to myself. "Oh god, I've completely lost it…" What I had thought was a quiet mumble was evidently far louder than I'd meant for it to be. Slowly, Bowser turned to me and I felt my knees go weak, barely managing to hold me up.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME? WERE YOU THE ONE WHO PUT THE BOMB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME?" He yelled, his eyes blazing with rage as he turned to glare at me. Suddenly, I didn't care how absurd this situation was. My life was flashing before my eyes and that most certainly was _not _a fantasy.

"Uh….um…." I began, at an utter loss for words. How was I supposed to think clearly with a firebreathing dragon yelling and glaring at me? But then I remembered that this was _Bowser_. Bowser was a lame villain as far as childhood monsters went and he was almost always defeated by the good guys. There was nothing to fear. If the happy-go-lucky real Mario and Luigi could defeat him, so could I! "Yes, that was me." I replied, surprised at how cool and in control my voice came out. Caught up in my own bravery I couldn't help but add, "What are you going to do about it?"

"Idiot." I heard Luigi mutter from my side.

"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?" Bowser roared, his eyes blazing. "DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?"

"Well, technically it _is _a game." I muttered, smirking. After all, that's all this entire universe was. It was a game for children, not the soap opera I'd previously thought it to be. It was hilarious, how dramatic everything had become. Like earlier, I couldn't believe how serious I was being. A giggle bubbled from me unbidden, which soon turned into full-out hysterical laughing. My stomach began to hurt and I struggled to breath. By the end of it, I was on my knees on the ground, tears of laughter streaming down my face. When I was able to breath properly again, I added "I'm fighting Bowser in a Mario Party game! Funny? It's hilarious!"

"ARE YOU MOCKING ME? YOU WILL OBEY ME!" Bowser roared. Before I could even glance up, flames shot out from between Bowser's lips and I could feel the entire room burning up. Instinctively, I raised a hand to defend myself, not even having enough time to stand up and run. My eyes shut as I contemplated my soon-to-be death. So this was how I would go? Who would have thought? But the fire never came. Looking up, I could see the back of Mario as he screamed in agony as his body took the full impact of the flames. Finally the fire stopped and Mario remained standing, mostly through sheer willpower.

"…It wasn't Daisy who put the bomb in the middle." Mario managed to choke out, his voice raspy. "It was…my idea. You can't imprison us here…forever." I looked up at Mario, Bill, whatever his name was- in awe. He might have been fictional and the situation might have been crazy, but Mario was my friend. I wanted to cry out his name, but I found that my vocal cords weren't working.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?" Bowser shouted, sounding amused. "THINK AGAIN! MWAHAHAHAHAHAH"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Luigi shouted, his scream echoing through the room. The raw pain that I heard in it caused me to shudder, as I wondered what was about to happen. I turned to see Luigi crumpled on the ground to my side, his eyes filled to the brim with pure anguish. Suicide mission, Luigi had said. What did he mean?

"What's happening?" Peach asked, echoing my thoughts. "Mario!"

"Don't worry guys, it'll all be-" But before Mario could continue, Bowser raised his arms before him and a blinding light appeared and consumed us all. Mario screamed, an inhuman cry of pain, before everything went black.


	9. Mario Band Stand

**Round 8- Mario Band Stand**

Mario- Blue, (One), 33 Coins

Luigi- Blue, (Three), 1 Star, 29 Coins

Peach- Blue, (Four), 42 Coins

Daisy- Blue, (Six), 1 Star, 7 Coins

When we reentered the white room, everything felt a bit…empty. Luigi did not make eye contact with neither Peach, nor I- and just went off to sit by himself for a while. While Peach and I were both feeling terrible about the previous events, we both understood that what we were feeling wasn't even near what Luigi felt. We had only just met the guy, while Mario and Luigi had been together since the beginning. But even so, we still had a Mario standing in front of us- not talking. Perhaps the human was deep in Mario somewhere, under the horror of what had just happened to him.

"Hey, um…Bill?" Peach began hesitantly, not having any idea what response she would get from Mario. Would he just glare? Would he burst into tears? Was it an evil robot of Bowsers in there now? Was he just left as a babbling idiot? I almost didn't want to know. However, Mario's response was something that I would never have expected.

"Princess Peach!" Mario exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I am not Bill! I am MARIO!" My eyes widened in horror. No, Mario wasn't evil, but he was reset back to what I could only assume was "basic mode". _This _was the character of Mario, not the guy who we had known.

"I…M-mario?" Peach stuttered, looking bewildered. It seemed obvious to me what was going on, but I imagined that Peach was still in denial about it. Really, I couldn't blame her.

"Peach?" Mario asked, his voice tinged with confusion, as his eyes narrowed sadly. "It is me!" He reassured her. "Mario!" Peach shook her head, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"I know that, Mario." Peach began, trying desperately to get the character to understand. "But you're not…I mean…"

"You're wasting your time. He's not Bill anymore. He's not going to understand you." I turned slowly to see that Luigi was watching the entire scene before him, his eyes cold. His arms were crossed across his chest and his eyes were narrowed in disgust at the new Mario before him. It was painful to see the man who had been such a friend to Maria and I the entire game replaced by this shell of a person, but I couldn't even imagine how it made Luigi feel. It wasn't Mario's fault, but that didn't make it any less painful.

"What do you mean?" I asked softly, speaking for the first time since my breakdown in the game. "What's happened?"

"Bill's gone." Luigi stated simply, his stance still betraying his stormy mood. "The guy in front of you is the character Mario." I nodded, already having figured that out. Still, it hurt to hear it said out loud. While Mario seemed like a great guy in his own right, he wasn't the hero and guy I was used to. It wasn't the same.

"Luigi?" Mario asked, looking to his brother in sad confusion. I felt my heart go out to the guy, his voice sounding so tiny and lost, that I almost wanted to just wrap my arms around him and tell him that everything would be okay.

"Yeah, it's me Mario." Luigi reassured his "brother", giving him a kind smile that didn't reach his eyes. Kneeling down, Luigi reached a hand out to place on Mario's shoulder and looked his best friends replacement in the eye. "Look, just don't press the button yet, okay?" Mario nodded vigorously, then ran off to go sit by himself, securing himself in a fetal position and looking out in front of him in sadness. He might not have known what was going on, but the grief in the white space was almost palpable.

"…oh." I stated, unsure of what to say. Peach, who hadn't said anything yet, now began to let the tears out completely.

"Oh my god…" Peach muttered, staring off at Mario, her eyes filled with pity and pain. "I can't believe…" Shaking her head, Peach swallowed her bad feelings and blinked away the now freefalling tears. Looking to Luigi, Peach let smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Luigi replied, his voice as stiff as his stance. "You didn't kill him. I don't blame you, there was nothing you could do." His eyes never left Mario as he said this, as though the harder he stared at him the more likely his friend would come back.

"I know, but…" Peach began, urging Luigi to listen to her. "…he was your friend. Your _best _friend. I can't even imagine." Peach looked to me for a moment, as though trying to convey how lost she would be without me. I smiled grimly. Turning back to Luigi, peach gently took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "If you need anything, I'm here." She smiled sadly at him, before going in for the hug. Surprisingly, Luigi accepted the hug gratefully and it didn't look awkward at all. I'd never imagined that Luigi would be the touchy-feely kind of guy, but looks could be deceiving. Not sure what I was supposed to do, I watched my two friends awkwardly- shuffling my feet and twiddling my thumbs. Unfortunately, Luigi was facing me and at that moment he decided to open his eyes and his tearful eyes met mine.

"I'm sorry…" I began, unsure of what exactly I could say that Peach hadn't already said. I knew that Peach had always been closer with Mario, while I was closer with Luigi. I felt compelled to say something, anything, that might make the situation better- but I just didn't know what to say.

"Don't." Luigi cut me off before I could try to conjure up something comforting to say. Peach let him go and wisely took a step back from the conversation, allowing the two of us to have our moment. "You don't do the "comforting thing", you said it yourself. You don't need to pretend." The moment the words came out of his mouth, I could feel a lump begin to form in my throat and a pit open up in my stomach. I _had _said that earlier and Luigi had called me a bad friend and what I was doing "low". Wasn't I suppose to learn from my mistakes? Besides, I definitely wasn't pretending. Mario had been my friend as well and it hurt me to see him gone. It didn't make me feel much better to see Luigi in pain, either.

"I'm not…"

"Pretending?" Luigi scoffed, cutting me off once more. "Yeah, you are." His eyes narrowed dangerously as he took a step towards me. It took all my willpower to keep holding my ground and to not back away. "You said it before. It's all a joke, isn't it? It's a kids game and you're too _cool _for it." Luigi's voice grew steadily angrier and angrier with every word, but his voice did not gain in volume. The threat and betrayal was clear in his voice and I had a feeling that I now knew where Mario was coming from when he had said that Luigi "bottled up his feelings till they exploded". "You taunted Bowser and started laughing hysterically. You haven't taken this game seriously from the moment you got here. You've been seeing us all as fictional characters and now one of us finally is one. Why aren't you laughing now, Daisy?" The last sentence was more of a growl than anything. I felt a sob get caught in my throat as I tried desperately not to break. Besides, Luigi's claims were totally unfounded. I didn't take things seriously? I treated it all like a joke? Sure, maybe I lost it a bit in the previous round- but before that I'd never treated any of this like a joke.

"That's not fair." I replied calmly, making sure to keep eye contact with Luigi. "I went a bit hysterical last round, sure, but I never once saw you two as fictional characters. I know both of you helped me out every roud and I owe you my life many times over." I felt my blood rising and the last sentence was spat out. "How _dare _you think I'd laugh at a time like this?" Luigi's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.

"It didn't stop you last time, now did it?" There was a long pause, where the two of us maintained eye contact, each of us trying to stare the other down.

"Guys!" Peach finally interrupted, tearing the two of us apart. "Stop fighting! You're not helping anything! Do you really think this is what Mario would have wanted you to do? Do you think that's what he sacrificed himself for?" There was a long silence following Peach's words, where Luigi and I both looked away in shame- both too stubborn to totally give in to the other. Thinking back on all the times that Luigi had thrown out harsh words and stood proud in light of all this pain, I knew I had to be the one to break the silence.

"Why don't we just learn how to play these instruments?" I finally mumbled, looking down in defeat. This arguing wasn't worth it. Peach was right, Mario definitely would not have wanted this. I looked over to see Peach holding a trumpet- Mario was already sitting with his drums, Luigi was holding a baton, and I picked up a Violin. Peach looked between us once more.

"Sure!" She exclaimed, smiling tightly. "I'll go help Mario." Before leaving, she spared Luigi a worried glance, then turned to me and glared pointedly. "Will you two be okay?" I couldn't help but flashback to when Mario had said something similar to the two of us on our first round and I smiled softly.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Peach nodded at me, then Luigi, then went off to go help out Mario. I knew what she was trying to do, leaving me alone with Luigi. She hoped that we would be able to sort out our problems and I hoped she was right- though a part of me doubted it. Once we were alone, I turned back to Luigi in weary cautiousness. "So…have you played this game?"

"Many times." Luigi replied, looking similar to how I felt. He looked tired of fighting and like just wanted for this to move on. "Mario was the conductor the last time, though." I nodded, gulping at the name.

"…oh." I replied, not sure what I was supposed to say and flinching outwardly at my awkward reply. "I'm sure…sure he was great." Sighing, I decided that it was time I tried to patch this awkwardness up before it got any farther. Looking over Luigi's shoulder I tried to redeem my earlier failure. "I know you don't believe me, but I really am sorry for your loss. Mario was a great guy and he really taught Peach and I a lot while in the games." Looking down at my feet I continued, "And…and I'm really sorry for my behavior last round. I don't know what came over me."

"Don't mention it." Luigi replied gruffly. "We all lose it at some point out here. I'm surprised you lasted so long." He laughed bitterly. "Your timing was terrible, though."

"It couldn't have been worse, could it?" I laughed as well, more in a mocking way than out of any real joy. "So do you know how to conduct?" Luigi shrugged.

"I'll figure it out. Up, left, right, down-keep in rhythm. I used to play trombone in my school's band. I think I watched my teacher conduct us enough times to know how it works." His eyes glazed over, as though recalling a time long gone. "How are you with the violin?"

"I should be fine…I was in Orchestra, as a Viola." I smiled, remember my class. It felt insane to think that I might not be able to go back there next year or really ever again. It felt weird to hold this instrument, something that was not a part of this world, in a Mario Party game. At least it wasn't a viola, or that would have been too much. "Playing violin isn't that much different…and it's all about rhythm in this game, not tonality." I felt myself grinning a bit, as I looked up at Luigi. "You were a band geek?" To my surprise, Luigi laughed in response, his eyes lighting up.

"A bit, yeah." He admitted, smiling at the memory. "I was almost the first trombone my senior year in High School, but this prodigy in my grade got the chair instead. I quit after High School." His grin faded somewhat. "I've missed it. It feels like decades ago that I was back in the real world, let alone High School." He laughed faintly, "Sometimes I don't even feel like a real person anymore." He looked down as he said this, as though ashamed to be admitting something so personal. It felt strange, but oddly comforting, to finally be able to talk to Luigi and not have either bitter accusations or resentful arguments. For once we were actually conversing in a sane and reasonable fashion.

"I know how you feel." I replied, grimacing. "It's hard to feel real when you're sharing a body with a Mario Party character. But the character is real, right? Who we are is still essentially the same- our personalities, our thoughts, our feelings...-they're all real."

"Getting philosophical on me?" Luigi smirked. I grinned in response, the first real genuine grin of happiness that I had made since I'd entered Mario Party. It felt so nice just being able to sit and chat, even if it was only for a few minutes, without having to worry about fighting and drama.

"It's a habit." I shrugged. "So…" I paused, taking a deep breath and letting out my hand towards Luigi. "…friends?" There was a long pause, while Luigi stared at my hand, as though considering whether or not to take it. It felt like we were in Mushroom Mix-Up all over again, but this time with _me_ lending my hand out to _him_. Through these games, through the ups and downs, I didn't really know whether or not I could consider Luigi a friend. We'd talked, he'd saved my life numerous times, we'd fought, and we'd learned to trust each other. But a friend? I didn't know if it could be defined strictly as such. Finally, Luigi smiled- an honest to God smile- and shook my hand warmly.

"Yeah."

"Hey guys, you ready for me to press the button?" Peach yelled from across the room, as she sat next to the button, barely holding in a grin. I smiled softly to myself, while Luigi looked away in embarrassment.

"Yeah!" I yelled back. The game was on.

3

My heart felt lighter, as I had finally come to the point where I could consider myself friends with both Luigi and Peach. It hurt to know that we had lost Mario, but the future still looked bright.

2

As I raised the violin to a playing position, I felt a sharp stab of nostalgia for the lazy days of just sitting in the Orchestra room and playing my instrument- the days that felt like they would never end.

1

I raised my bow and decided to try and play an open E string, the one string that I'd never played before. Looking forward, I tried to get the rhythm in my head and to remember all that I'd learned in my High School class. My life depended on it.

GO!

The game went reasonably well and it was definitely one of the more relaxing experiences. Mario was totally and utterly offbeat, hitting the drums on what seemed to be a completely random beat. Peach also was slightly off on her trumpet, always missing the beat by about a second. Luigi was a decent conductor, but there were a few times he missed the beat. The thing that surprised me the most was how well I seemed to be at this challenge. It wasn't like skateboarding or tightrope walking, where I was a lost cause. This was something I had practiced since I was in 3rd grade- and it really paid off. By the time the game was over, the winner was obvious. The coins landed on me and I couldn't help but to feel at peace as the lights went out.


	10. Running of the Bulb

**Round 9-Running of the Bulb **

Mario- Blue, (Five), 43 Coins

Luigi- Green/Blue, (Two), 1 Star, 29 Coins

Peach- Blue, (Four), 52 Coins

Daisy- Blue, (Two), 1 Star, 27 Coins

Like with the pipe maze before it, the game had reached a surprisingly calm lull and I personally welcomed the change in the atmosphere. It felt like the first day of spring after a long and bitter winter. The games were getting easier, the air of tension had mostly dissipated, and everybody was much kinder to each other. As depressing as it had been to lose Mario, it had brought the three of us closer together. It still felt like there was a gaping hole in our group, but we were bearing it together instead of tearing each other apart. That was a step forward and I liked to think that if Mario could see us now he would have been proud of us.

"Great job last game!" Peach greeted me, grinning. She nudged me playfully. "I told you those Orchestra skills would come in handy one day!" I couldn't help but smile at Maria's infectious glee. It felt strange being so content, but it was a good kind of strange.

"Thanks! I suppose all those years of boredom weren't such a waste." I joked, grinning down at my feet. I may have complained about Orchestra at the time, but I really did miss it. I missed everything from my previous life, everything that had made me who I was. Perhaps picking up my instrument again had done more than just elevate my pride. It had also reminded me that I was still the person I had always been and the person I was trying to get back to. Peach snorted derisively.

"It wasn't _that _bad…"

"You quit, remember?"

"Well-"

"Are you two done?" Peach was interrupted by Luigi, who was watching us with a look that seemed torn between amusement and impatience. His arms were crossed over his chest, like a teacher who had been standing for a long time waiting for the class to settle down. Peach looked embarrassed and immediately stopped talking. I just raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"What? We were just having a little fun. Is that a crime?" I couldn't help but add a little attitude to my response. Peach just sighed, awaiting another fight. Although I knew the friendship I had finally developed with Luigi was fragile, the sarcasm just came to me naturally.

"Have you forgotten why we're here?" Luigi's tone was scolding, but not hostile. I shook my head, trying not to look down in shame or embarrassment. It wasn't as though I had done anything wrong.

"No, but-"

"But nothing." Luigi raised an eyebrow, his voice firm. As I began to look away in shame, Luigi continued on in a gentler tone. "I don't think any of us want to spend the rest of our lives in a Mario Party game. For now, we have more important things to do than joke around." I nodded reluctantly, still too proud to accept that I was wrong.

"Running of the bulb!" Mario piped up, reminding us all of his presence.

"See? Mario gets it." Luigi smirked at Peach and I. I chuckled quietly, glad that Luigi had released some of the tension in the room. Perhaps he wasn't too mad at us after all.

"Running of the bulb!" Mario repeated, looking around at all of us. It was clear that Mario didn't really understand what was going on, but he was happy to be the center of attention. If I had to guess, he had been set back not only to game mode, but to "easy game mode". In a way, Bowser had done us a favor. While I pondered this, Mario chose that moment to go sprinting towards the button and was only caught by Peach in the nick of time.

"Mario, you can't press the button yet. We need to come up with a plan first!" Peach explained to Mario, gently. Mario's body deflated in disappointment.

"Plan?"

"Yes, a plan." Peach replied, her voice kind. She turned to Luigi quizzically. "You have a plan, right?"

"Well, do you know how the game is played?" Peach shook her head, while Mario and I both nodded. A part of me doubted that Mario really understood the game all that clearly, but Luigi was going to explain it again for Peach's benefit. Besides, Mario's brain was probably filled to the brim with only Mario Party knowledge, so what did I know?

"To put it simply, a huge light bulb will fall into one of our arms. That person's goal is to run forward down a long hallway and plug in the bulb at the very end. The other three will work as bodyguards for the person holding the bulb. Boo will be trying to hypnotize everyone into taking the bulb into the back of the hallway, where a huge Boo is trying to take away all the light in the room. Get it?" Peach just stared blankly at Luigi in response. I knew from experience that Peach wasn't an auditory learner, so Luigi's explanation had probably gone right over her head.

"What…"

"Basically, you will either run forward with the bulb, trying to avoid Boo and these rock things trying to squash you, or you will run forward trying to punch Boos out of your way and hypnotized people out of being hypnotized." I tried to explain in clearer terms, but Peach still looked completely lost.

"I think I've got it…" Peach muttered, her eyes scrunched up in confusion. Luigi and I shared a look, before Luigi shrugged.

"You'll get the hang of it when the game starts."

"So who is going to carry the bulb?" I asked.

"Mario!" Everyone cast a glance over to where Mario was standing, grinning from ear to ear. Perhaps he had been following the conversation better than I'd imagined. Maybe Mario was even right. The character was programmed for this. Maybe he would be the best option to carry the bulb.

"I don't see a problem with that." I spoke up, surprising everyone. Luigi's gaze was incredulous, Peach looked confused, and Mario looked thrilled.

"You're serious?" Luigi scoffed. "Mario is going to walk straight to Boo, even without being hypnotized. We wouldn't stand a chance."

"But he'll have the best backup to make sure he doesn't fail." I pointed out, pointing to the three of us. If Mario had us to back him up, he couldn't fail. If anyone else were to hold the bulb, Mario would be useless. But Luigi was already shaking his head.

"It's too much of a risk."

"I'll take it!" Peach responded, raising her hand excitedly. When everyone turned to stare at her, she slowly lowered her hand and grinned sheepishly at everyone. "I don't know how the game works, but running ahead with a bulb sounds pretty easy. You three will have to do most of the harder work!" I nodded, considering it. If Luigi or I were to hold the bulb, we'd have an easy mode player and a confused player back us up. Peach knew enough to know not to walk into the abyss in the back, while also having the backup of Luigi, myself, and even Mario. It was perfect.

"Good point." I nodded, stroking my chin thoughtfully. "Luigi?"

"It could work…" Luigi replied, still looking as though he were still trying to figure something out. His gaze suddenly cleared and he looked to Peach. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, you can always hand the bulb over to Daisy or myself."

"So it's settled." Peach grinned, happy that she had come up with a plan herself. "Finally, we get to work as a team!"

"Isn't that what we've always been doing?" I replied shyly, nervously making eye contact with Luigi. I could still remember the sting he had felt when I had been convinced that I would not be receiving his help in Tightrope Walker. He had worked to help me then, despite the fact that I was playing against him for the challenge. I had never seen Peach, Luigi, or Mario as my enemy. Luigi returned the eye contact, shooting me a weak smile. I blushed and looked away at Peach. Peach was watching the two of us in curiosity, before winking at me.

"Alright, Mario? You ready to push the button?" Peach asked, gently pushing Mario ahead.

"Running of the bulb!"

3

We all stood in our places and the bulb had fallen into Peach's hands.

2

Luigi turned to me. "You ready?" He asked. This time I didn't hesitate.

1

"Always."

GO!

The game started and immediately the Boos were on us. Peach stumbled forward, looking terrified and unsure of herself. But she kept standing and managed to get forward at a decent pace.

"Boo! Boo! Boo!" Mario kept chanting over and over again, as he punched out the Boos around him. However, it was hard to concentrate on keeping myself and the rest of the players protected with Mario's repeated "Boo! Boo! Boo!" trailing after me everywhere I went.

"Shut up…" I muttered under my breath.

"Weren't you the one who wanted Mario to carry the bulb?" Luigi teased, popping up behind me to punch out a Boo. I rolled my eyes, not at all surprised that Luigi had managed to hear what I had thought was a quiet mumble. The guy had an annoying habit of never missing anything. The first Boo appeared in front of me and I instinctively punched it out, praying that I was doing it right. The Boo disappeared and I let out an excited cheer. In the second that I took to celebrate, another Boo had popped up behind me and Luigi punched it out.

"Don't let your guard down!"

"Sorry!" I continued battling and tuned the world out around me. Strangely enough, it was almost comforting to be able to lose myself to the game. For once, my mind wasn't concerned with useless drama, game strategies, or panic over my predicament. The only thing that mattered was punching out these Boos. Besides, after all the stress that came with this experience, it was nice to punch things. While I was punching out a Boo, I felt something brush past my shoulder and turned to see that while I had been zoned out my entire team had managed to get hypnotized by the Boos. First, I punched Peach and Peach immediately headed forward again, not even passing a sparing glance at me. I looked to the right and left and saw that both Mario and Luigi were seconds away from being captured by Boo. It didn't take me long to choose who to save.

"Sorry, Mario…" With that said, I ran towards Luigi and punched him back into sanity.

"Where's Mario?" I punched out another Boo and gestured behind me.

"Boo got him! I was careless and you all got caught. And don't tell me I told you so!"

"You really think I would at a time like this?" Luigi punched out a Boo near him.

"I don't know! I mean, I know you hate me!" There was a long silence and my eyes widened and my left hand went instinctively to my mouth. The words had come out unbidden and now that I'd let them out I couldn't take it back. Somewhere deep down I knew that perhaps Luigi and I had gotten past that stage, but there was still a significant part of me that believed what I had said to be true. I turned to make eye contact with Luigi and was surprised to see him looking just as shocked as I felt.

"What?" Luigi asked quietly. He looked as though I had gutted the air out of him. I'd never seen him look so sad, disappointed, and hurt all at once- not even after Mario had died.

"I didn't mean…" I began, but then shook my head. I had meant exactly what I said. I punched out another Boo. "I mean, you're always frustrated and annoyed at me and…I don't know. I just…" I looked back up from my feet to see that Luigi had stopped fighting and was watching me with an unreadable expression. It made me feel very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "though…"

"Daisy, I don't hate you." Luigi spoke softly, the hurt in his voice clear. "I…" Suddenly Peach was walking through our conversation, hypnotized. The conversation could wait till later, Peach and the bulb were our main concern. I punched Daisy and she immediately handed the bulb over to me.

"I can't deal with the stress, anymore." Peach admitted. "Go!" I nodded and ran forward, glad for the excuse to escape the situation with Luigi. It was difficult avoiding the obstacles, what with my mind stuck in what I had just blurted out. Why was I so stupid? Just when things were starting to look up, of course I'd had to bring all the dirty laundry out to the forefront. What was wrong with me? Fortunately, I only got hit by Boo once. The next thing I knew I was getting punched out of it. A small part of me hoped that it was Luigi, but it was Peach and she shoved me gently forward. Finally, I made it to the end and plugged in the bulb. As I turned to celebrate the victory after what felt like the longest mini-game yet, Peach shot a grin back but Luigi still looked troubled and stared intently at me as the lights went bright and we were gone.


	11. Bumper Balls

**Round 10-Bumper Balls **

Mario- Blue, (Four), 56 Coins

Luigi- Blue, (Six), 1 Star, 42 Coins

Peach- Blue, (One), 65 Coins

Daisy- Blue, (Two), 1 Star, 40 Coins

Finally, we had reached the last round. If I lost, I would be forced to relive the games all over again, but for now this particular journey was over. Besides, I would carry the lessons I had learned during this game with me into wherever I was to go next and I could feel in my heart that perhaps life wouldn't be quite so dramatic anymore. For once in my life, I felt ready to deal with whatever life were to throw at me. Still, it was a bit sad leaving this whole adventure behind. True, it hadn't always been the most fun or happy adventure. But it had been exhilarating, life-changing, and I would come to miss Luigi and possibly Maria. I didn't want it to end.

"Bumper balls!" Mario exclaimed, blissfully unaware of the awkward mood settling in the blank room.

"Something I actually know a little bit about" Peach muttered.

"Well, that's something to look forward to!" I grinned, nudging Peach playfully. Even to my own ears, the cheerfulness in my voice sounded forced.

"Button?" Mario asked, looking between Peach and I at our happy faces. At least our outward appearance could fool Mario.

"Not yet, Mario." Luigi spoke up from off to the side, where Luigi was sitting and staring into space. Mario nodded in glum acceptance and walked off to go sit by himself. Without the much needed distraction of Mario, the awkward tension in the room heightened.

"I suppose this is the last mini-game. So whoever wins this game will automatically return home?" Peach finally broke the silence.

"Most likely. They will definitely not be in the game, anyway." Luigi grunted.

"…wow." Peach whispered, looking down. It seemed to hit her right then how depressing the situation was. It was the time to say goodbye, possibly forever. Peach had no way out of here for this game, but no matter what happened-she was going to lose one of her friends. "So either you or Daisy will be out of here?" Peach's voice began to shake, as she clearly held her tears from spilling. Luigi and I shared a glance, before Luigi nodded at Peach.

"Yeah."

"Well, if this is to be goodbye…it was nice knowing you." Peach managed, giving Luigi a tight hug. Luigi didn't look quite comfortable with the act, but he seemed to appreciate the meaning behind it. After Peach let go, she took one last long look at Luigi. "Thank you. For everything." Luigi just nodded, clearly itching to get out of the emotional moment. Peach, Maria, then turned to stand in front of me. We made eye contact for a moment, so many words left unsaid, before bursting into laughter. It wasn't a joyous laughter though. The feeling was more akin to the kind of laughter that bursts out during a religious service when you don't know what else to do and the discomfort gets unbearable.

"There's always a chance Luigi will defeat me." Peach laughed shakily.

"But there's always a chance he won't." I nodded shortly. There was another long pause, where the two of us couldn't seem to find the words to say.

"If I get out of here, I'll tell your parents that you're okay." My voice had started trembling as I spoke and I feared that any second now I would burst into tears. It was only due to the fact that I'd spent years honing in my skills at bottling up emotions that I wasn't breaking now. Peach understood and she smiled tearfully back at me.

"You're a good friend." With a lot of effort, I choked back a sob.

"I know I'm awesome." I joked, laughing shakily. In fact, my whole body was trembling. "You too. I mean, you're also a good friend." The words were mumbled mostly at my feet, but I did manage to make eye contact with Peach at the very end "I will miss you."

"I'm sorry for everything I said-"

"Don't." I stopped her. What was in the past was in the past and it was better we moved on. "I already forgot about it." I was sure to make firm eye contact with Peach this time and she nodded shakily.

"Alright, well I'll go…go sit with Mario. If I stay any longer, we're going to wind up singing "For Good"." I burst out laughing then, the laugh tinged a bit with hysterics.

"We totally should."

"I knew you would say that." Peach laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head. We looked at each other one last time, taking in the others presence for possibly the last time in a long while. We then enveloped each other in a tight hug, one that I secretly hoped would never end. But after a long time, Peach let go and went to sit with Mario. I was surprised to feel tears running down my face. Hastily, I wiped them away and moved over towards Luigi

"…Hey." I started, sitting down beside Luigi. Lightly, I nudged him, trying to aim for a friendly nonchalance.

"Daisy." Luigi still stared straight ahead. There was a long pause where Luigi continued to stare into the distance and I stared at my feet trying to decide on what to say. Maybe the silence was comforting to Luigi, but it was unbearable or me.

"I guess this is it. After this game one of us will be going home."

"Yes." There was another long pause. It was then that I remembered what I had yelled the last game, about Luigi hating me. With all of the emotion surrounding the last challenge, I had forgotten about the drama from before. It looked like I would have to face this issue head on before saying our goodbyes. There was no way I would be leaving any unfinished business and regrets.

"What I said the last mini-game…I didn't mean it."

"Yeah you did." Luigi smiled ruefully, while I tried to splutter out an answer. "It's okay. Really. I haven't been the nicest to you since you entered the game. For that I apologize." My eyes widened, hardly believing my ears. Luigi wasn't the type to apologize and he didn't have anything to apologize _for._ If anything, I had been the one making mistakes the entire time. Luigi just had the courage to call me out on it.

"Apologize? You've saved my life again and again! There is _nothing _to apologize for." Luigi smirked in agreement

"I never denied saving your life" His smirk faded and the gloomy expression reappeared. "But I have been overly hard on you when it wasn't always necessary. If I ever gave you the impression that I hated you, it's my own fault. I never hated you, I just-" Luigi paused here and I could feel my breath catch in my throat. Was Luigi about to open up to me about his behavior? Or was this…could this be…something more?

"Just what…?" I asked, my voice rough and shaky.

"The last game I played, Jake and our friend Erica entered the game as Mario and Peach. Erica won and got out of here But the girl who played Daisy…" Luigi paused here, still staring ahead, as though preparing himself for what was to come next. "…she was a stranger to us all. She was a free spirit, someone who actually _enjoyed _the game and was strong, independent, and played the game on her own terms. Being in the game with the four of us was actually….fun." Luigi laughed bitterly. "I should have known it couldn't last."

"You loved her, didn't you?" My voice was soft, in gentle understanding. I hadn't meant to say it, but the second the words were out of my mouth I knew that they were right. Luigi nodded.

"When we were playing Platform Peril, Daisy convinced us all to refuse to play the game. Bowser interrupted and the situation was very similar to Hot Bob-Omb. I tried to take the blame instead of Daisy, but there was nothing I could do when the woman had set her mind on something. That's how I knew what happened with Mario. She was reset, then you and your friend joined the game. If you ever got the impression that I hated you, it was never your fault. The blame lies solely on me."

"No. No it doesn't. It lies entirely on bowser. If only there was a way we could defeat him…" I muttered darkly, filled with a rage I didn't even know I was capable of. It was Bowser's fault that we were stuck in here, that Luigi had been forced to deal with so much hearbreak, and that I had been forced into this poor girl's body. Why had we been fighting each other and arguing so much? The real villain was right in front of us the entire time.

"You saw what happened."

"I know." I muttered, frustrated. It was too late now to do anything, anyway. "We'll get through this game, but if I win…promise me that you will fight back. If you win, I know I will. Bowser can't be allowed to get away with this." If only I could stand beside Luigi in the next game, knowing what I knew now. I wouldn't let him drown himself in his guilt anymore, I wouldn't let myself drown myself in my own self-doubt, and I would fight back against Bowser with everything I had in me.

"I promise" Luigi replied, finally looking at me. His eyes were somewhat lightened by the pleasant surprise at my fiery declaration.

"Good, so that's settled." I looked down "So…may the best player win?"

"I suppose so."

"Just so you know…" I paused here, suddenly shy. "…I will miss you." It was time for the goodbye, a more certain one than the last. No matter what, Luigi and I _would _be separated now. There was no way we could ever see each other again. Luigi looked down as well, shuffling his feet nervously.

"Yeah." He paused. "Yeah, you too." Luigi extended his hand out to me, for one last handshake, which I took awkwardly. The tears started to flow, unbidden by me, as I remembered all of the previous times Luigi had held a hand out to me. _Screw it_, I thought in the spur of the moment and I pulled Luigi in closer and wrapped my arms around him in a tight hug. Luigi, to my surprise, returned the hug gratefully and I finally allowed myself to break down in his arms.

"Thank you" I whispered. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you…" The hug continued for what felt like forever, yet felt like no time at all. Finally, we broke apart and returned to the button. Peach nodded when she saw Daisy approaching and nudged Mario to press the button. Mario happily obliged.

3

I took a deep breath, trying to remember everything I had learned about balance from Tightrope Walker.

2

I glanced across the game, taking one last look at Peach and Luigi

1

I steeled back the emotions and got ready for one last game

The game started and Luigi and I shared a look, looked towards Mario, then back at each other. Peach made quick eye contact with me and nodded. Our first target was Mario

"Bumper balls!" Mario exclaimed, happily walking right into the middle of the game

"Sorry, Mario…" With the three of us ganging up on the defenseless and harmless Mario, it didn't take long for us to defeat him. The three of us paused for a moment, not sure where to go from there and dreading turning on each other. But we didn't have to take long, before Peach turned to Luigi and I and smiled painfully through her freely flowing tears

"Good luck, guys." Peach saluted, then rolled herself right off the board. I barely kept my own tears back. Luigi shared a glance with me across the board, the glance telling me that he understood how I felt and I could take my time. But there was no wasting time for me anymore. I was getting this over with, now and forever.

"Good game?" I asked, smiling briefly.

"Don't you dare." Luigi growled, after realizing what I was about to do. The sacrifice I was about to make.

"You deserve to get out of here" I stated simply.

"I'd never forgive you." I smiled sadly at Luigi, shrugging.

"I can live with that." And it was true. It would hurt to know that Luigi might resent me, but somehow I knew in my heart that he was lying. He would forgive me, it was himself that he wouldn't allow himself to forgive. "This is my decision." I reminded him gently, before turning and preparing myself to roll off the field.

"Wait!" I shut my eyes tightly, taking a deep breath. It was taking up every ounce of my strength to keep up a brave face. Right now, I just wanted to roll off this field and take my fate. It hurt to much to stay.

"Please don't make this any harder." I mumbled, turning around begrudgingly.

"What's your name?" The question was quiet, so quiet that I almost missed it. He sounded so forlorn, almost as though this answer was more important than anything else in this game. In a way, it was

"Lily." With that said, I smiled gently at Luigi. I saluted him and finally, I rolled off the game. Luigi had won.


End file.
